Deep slightly hazed auburn hue with a thin off white head that dissipates quickly. Good bid of smoke and woodiness on the nose. Some malt sweetness but mostly smoke.

Toasted grains and hearty breads on the tip of the tongue rolls into very savory smokiness. Woody earthy flavors lay below a thick layer of smoke flavor. The beer finishes with a nice dosing of underlying bitterness to bring some balances to the faint sweetness that the malt presents as well as attempts to halt some of the powerful smoke flavor. the strong savory smoke lingers on the finish however along with some bitterness on the back of the tongue. The beer has Brisk bright carbonation and is on the lighter side of being medium bodied making for good drink ability.

I would like to see more of this beers "amber" components come through as it's mostly just a smoke beer with some other subtle nuances that work but it's nothing "wow" (911 characters)

eyes...hey it's amber in color (imagine that), one finger of very stable head that is fed with lots of bubbles rising up, lacing is good, pretty standard looking but no real distractions

nose...nice smoke aroma, really great notes of cherry smoke, you can sense some sweetness underneath but the smoke dominates easily here, if you like strong smoke (and I do) this is delicious in the nose

taste etc...the taste is.. er sort of absent, it is very light on the amber and very light on the smoke I'm afraid, it drinks a little light and the carbonation is also underwhelming, if I let this live in my mouth I get some of the smoke (camp fire) but... but... just a very bland beer otherwise

verdict?no freshness date on the bottle but it was buried on a bottom rack at a trusted store... smells great drinks blah (817 characters)